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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , China , Roewe Remember the Roewe 550 ? Pretty nice-looking ride, especially for a Chinese car, considering some of the freakishly awful stuff that comes out of the country. SAIC apparently realizes that in terms of name recognition, MG > Roewe. Case in point: the introduction of the 550 and 750 sedans in Chile, where both cars are now being sold under the MG moniker by importer SK Bergé . The two four-doors will reportedly be joined by the TF roadster in November, but despite the traditionally British nameplate adorning their respective bonnets, all three are made in China. You know, like everything else. You can see a gallery of the brand's launch event in Santiago here . Thanks for the tip, Potts. [Sources: Autoblog Spanish , Austin Rover Online ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: China , Volvo An eternally unanswerable question seems to be whether or not Ford is actively shopping around Volvo for a buyer. Just this week we reported that Chinese automaker SAIC and some Russian investors had expressed interest in purchasing the Swedish carmaker from Ford, but today we learn from a source within SAIC that the company is doing nothing of the sort. The unidentified source said that, as far as he/she knew, the two companies were not in contact about a possible purchase at all. Volvo's staying quiet and licking its wounds after announcing 2,000 layoffs this week, while Ford is singing the same old song with a catchy chorus that insists Volvo is not for sale. Well, the rumor that some Russians are interested in Volvo hasn't been refuted yet, so until someone named Boris says otherwise, let's considerable Volvo on the market despite Ford's protest. [Source: Automotive News , sub. req'd] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , China , GM Click image for a gallery of the GM China Chevrolet Spark If everyone else is going to build cars like Tata's headline-grabbing Nano, GM's going to pile on, too. The Lutz cites GM's part-ownership stake in Wuling Motors, a Chinese manufacturer of sub-$3,000 utility vehicles as a possible source of a GM Nano competitor. Lutz went on to say that one way to make an inexpensive car for the developing world is to repurpose a legacy platform that has become obsolete. The tooling and design will have long been paid off, and there'll be plenty of experience from the manufacturing side, too. This is essentially what GM China is already doing with the Daewoo Matiz/Chevrolet Spark. It might smack of dumping an old product that isn't safe or clean enough for mature markets, but is "good enough" in other parts of the world. That said, it could also be a way to maximize the life of an investment while also providing developing markets with...
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Filed under: China , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing MG's former Longbridge, UK headquarters has been pretty quiet since production ceased in 2005. Newly-merged owners SAIC and Nanjing want the clatter of carbuilding to once again echo through the plant and plan to base their European and overseas operations there. The plant itself has the capability to build up to three different models; the challenge is deciding which of the former rival's products to build there. MG TF roadsters will likely lead the charge, with cars due at retail locations by March 1st. MG Rover holdovers could return to their roots if SAIC/Nanjing decide to build the MG 3 and MG 7 , while the newly deisgned Roewe W2 , pictured above, looks like a solid possibility, as well. In addition to manufacturing, R&D and sales efforts will also be strengthened. From the sound of things, it won't be long before Longbridge is once again turning out cars (some of the same cars, even) at a healthy clip. [Source: Auto...
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Filed under: China , Plants/Manufacturing , FIAT Fiat and Nanjing may have divorced their marriage on passenger cars, but that shouldn't affect their offspring. Following Fiat's withdrawal from its joint venture with the Chinese automaker, production of three current Fiat models at the Nanjing plant is expected to continue. With demand for the Sino-Italian cars slowly dwindling, Nanjing Fiat Auto was expected to continue production in the short term only to satisfy orders placed, and the manufacturing of spare parts to support the service of the cars already sold will also continue for years to come. However, recent reports indicate that as part of its divorce with Fiat, Nanjing acquired the rights to continue building the Palio Weekend wagon, Siena sedan and Perla (a larger sedan having been developed in China and based on the Siena platform) under a different badge. Component suppliers in China report that they have received no cancellation on shipments to the assembly plant,...
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Filed under: China , UK The twisted saga of MG's resurrection from the ashes at the hands of Chinese automakers has come full circle. Last year both SAIC Motor Corp. and Nanjing Automobile Corp. fought tooth and nail for the right to build MGs in England, and Nanjing, the smaller of the two automakers by far, won. Since then the Chinese automaker has been trying to begin production of a new MG roadster at the company's plant in Longbridge, England. SAIC, meanwhile, accepted the defeat and instead purchased some MG production equipment and began building Rover sedans in China under the Roewe name (Ford had cleverly exercised its option to purchase the Rover name from BMW, which meant that SAIC had to name its Rover sedans something else). SAIC has gotten the last laugh, however, with its recent purchase of Nanjing . Nanjing bought Rover for an estimated $100 million back in 2005, while SAIC reportedly has agreed to pay around $1.9 billion for Nanjing.This means that everything SAIC...
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Filed under: China , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Earnings/Financials , Chery , Alfa Romeo , FIAT Hot on the heels of Nanjing Auto's merger with SAIC , Fiat has announced it has pulled out of the automotive joint venture it had embarked upon with Nanjing. The Sino-Italian operation had been a money-losing enterprise for years. Fiat says that Nanjing failed to live up to its commitments to the joint venture after the Chinese auto group took over MG Rover, and that the divorce will enable the Italian automaker to re-strategize its business in China. Fiat is expected to partner instead with Chery Automobiles, which just announced another joint venture with Israel Corp . Fiat and Chery are in the process of setting up another joint venture to produce 175,000 cars annually starting in 2009, and leading to the introduction of Fiat Group division Alfa Romeo to the Chinese market. The separation affects only the cooperation between Fiat and Nanjing on the production of passenger cars, and...
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Filed under: China , Earnings/Financials Industry analysts widely agree that one of the principal factors preventing Chinese automakers from succeeding outside of China is the local industry's fragmentation, with over 100 automakers vying for their slice of the proverbial pie. However, a merger announced Wednesday between two major Chinese automakers, Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp (SAIC) and Nanjing Automotive Group, stands a stronger chance of succeeding in the international car market as a larger group. The merger, which has been long anticipated, involves SAIC paying $285.7 million for Nanjing. In return, Nanjing's parent company acquires 4.9 percent of SAIC Motor Corp. The products of SAIC's joint ventures with GM and Volkswagen Group account for 14% of the domestic market in China, selling 1.25 million vehicles in the first ten months of 2007. Nanjing, meanwhile, sold less than 80,000 over the same period, making the acquisition a merger in the same sense as Mercedes...
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Filed under: SUVs , China , Roewe Roewe , SAIC 's renamed Rover, has an SUV in the works. Details are scant, though it's reportedly based on a Ssangyong model. We think the Ssangyong Kyron is hiding under the Roewe's handsome sheetmetal. The Kyron carries its Mercedes-esque styling atop a ladder frame and off-road capable 4WD componentry, so Roewe's new SUV should be able to get dirty without becoming mired. Roewe has added some Lexus to the styling of the Kyron, but the older Mercedes powertrain systems might not remain underhood. Ssangyong uses Mercedes castoffs through a special licensing agreement, though we wouldn't go so far as to call either vehicle a bargain last-gen Mercedes. Looking into reports on the Kyron reveal a vehicle that's well equipped but not a screaming deal; nor is it a stellar performer. Perhaps Roewe has revised the chassis calibration and found a different motor to slide in between the front fenders. [Source: China Car Times via Straightline...
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Filed under: China , Buick , Cadillac , GM As if offering Buicks that people would actually buy isn't enough, the General is upping the ante in the ultra-competitive Chinese market by announcing that Chinese customers will be able to subscribe to its OnStar service beginning in 2009. The safety and telecommunications service will be jointly provided by GM and its Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), each of which will own 40% of a new joint-venture called Shanghai OnStar Telematics Company Limited. The remaining 20% of the new company will be owned by GM and SAIC's other joint-venture company, Shanghai GM. We now sit back and await the day that someone driving an Envoy in Tennessee hits the little blue button on his rearview mirror and is greeted in Mandarin. [Source: General Motors] Continue reading OnStar all grown up, leaves home for China Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: China , Hirings/Firings , Chrysler , GM Chrysler proved once again that it will spare no expense to draw leading figures in the industry to man the helm of the it's turnaround. Today, Chrysler LLC announced that it's hired a 32-year veteran...
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